North Myrtle Beach
Golf Runs the Gamut

By Shane Sharp,
Contributing Writer

Part II of III in an exclusive MyrtleBeachGolf.com Series

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH -- Tracy Connor, Bay Tree Golf Plantation’s Director of Golf, is spending most of his time this summer walking the tee boxes, fairways and greens of the venerable Gold Course.

The 18-hole Russell Breeden/George Fazio designed track is the last of Bay Tree’s three courses to undergo a major renovation. The Silver Course was remodeled in 1995 and the Green Course was overhauled in 1997. Connor believes the new-look bunkers, laser leveled tee boxes and rebuilt greens will re-establish the Gold Course as a local favorite.

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Getting people back to Myrtle Beach is one thing. Getting them back to North Myrtle Beach is a mission that requires a little more tact and planning. For starters, Connor says the majority of traveling golfers don’t realize that NMB is a veritable golf destination itself. Even if they did, Connor adds, the mindset of golfers has always been to branch out and play courses from Pawleys Island to Little River rather than hunker down in one area.

However, as Grand Strand traffic congestion continues to grow and courses are built on the periphery of the region, golfers seeking a diet of 36 holes a day are being forced to limit the boundaries of their golf trip.

“I think that plays into the hands of North Myrtle Beach,” Connor says. “This area is very contained, the roads are still accessible, and we have over 20 golf courses in a small area. It has become an issue of late that you don’t want to stay in North Myrtle Beach and play in Garden City Beach. Accessibility has become of the essence around here, and North Myrtle Beach has that to offer golfers.”

Geographically, NMB is just a small piece of the Grand Strand pie. The boundaries of the city are nine miles of the Atlantic Ocean on the east, the Intracoastal Waterway on the west, Hog Inlet on the north and the town of Briarcliffe Acres on the south near the White Point Swash.

The maritime setting forms the backdrop for some of the Grand Strand’s most scenic golf courses, including the Tidewater Golf Club, Heath Glen, and Glen Dornoch. NMB’s inland courses, such as Bay Tree, Azalea Sands, Beachwood, and Arcadian Shores are some of the most established facilities at the beach.

“There’s a great variety of courses here, but we haven’t really marketed ourselves separately, because Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday has traditionally marketed the entire Strand,” says Connor. “Up until last year, we didn’t even have a Chamber of Commerce. Now that we have one, they are working hard to expand the scope of our promotions to include golf.”

When and if the North Myrtle Beach Chamber does mount an aggressive golf promotional campaign, it will have a variety of elements to plug. Tidewater is a regular in Golf Magazine’s “Top 100 Courses You Can Play” ratings, and invariably receives four and a half stars in Golf Digest’s “Places to Play” rankings.

The three resort courses at Barefoot – the (Davis) Love, (Greg) Norman, and (Tom) Fazio Courses – have garnered national attention and have hosted Canadian Tour stops for the past two years. And Barefoot’s private facility, the 18-hole (Pete) Dye, is widely recognized as one of the most challenging courses in the Grand Strand. Barefoot also recently unveiled a 40,000 square foot resort clubhouse and construction is underway on a new practice range that should emerge as one of the state’s best.

Or, the Chamber could tout NMB’s blend of the old and the new. Shaftsbury Glen Golf and Fish Club, a Clyde Johnston designed layout that smacks of Winged Foot, opened in the fall of 2001 on the western fringes of town. Meanwhile, the 40-year-old Surf Club and its famous bentgrass greens sits across town just a stone’s throw from the ocean.

Should be as hard to market as hotdogs at a baseball game, right?

Yes and no. The NMB Chamber’s mission is to get visitors and potential visitors to recognize the fact that this golfing diversity is available to them in one tightly packaged, independent municipality, all while maintaining a fruitful relationship with the town of Myrtle Beach and the Grand Strand at large.

“Close to 12 million people come to Myrtle Beach every year, the majority of them pass through North Myrtle Beach and six million actually make this their destination,” says Craig Lloyd, director of the North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce.

Lloyd says the Chamber is in the process of producing its first NMB golf guide, and has taken out multiple page ads in two national golf magazines. They are also considering attending a number of national and international trade shows to promote the area.

“We are starting to market the northeastern U.S. aggressively, but we respect our past relationships with the other municipalities and honor the idea that we are all working together to promote this region,” Lloyd says. “We have so much opportunity here and we are a part of the overall package.”

NMB Must Plays

Tidewater Golf Club (1-866-409-2177) Tidewater will close in June to remodel it’s greens with TifEagle Bermuda grass, and will reopen the first week of August. There are over 120 courses in the Grand Strand and not one of them can match Tidewater’s setting on the Intracoastal Waterway in Cherry Grove. The design of the course is also solid, considering it was crafted by former accountant Ken Tomlinson. The par four 18th is one of the most brutal finishing holes at the beach.

Barefoot Resort (1-866-409-2177) -- The Norman Course is a unique blend of what the Shark likes to call “Augusta National meets the Outback.” Manicured fairways lead up to sweeping waste areas and native grasses. The course is generous in the landing area department, but houses little respect for errant tee shots. The Love Course set up perfectly for good drivers of the golf ball and solid long iron players. The Fazio Course is what you’d expect from one of the greatest modern golf architects: white, surreal looking bunkers, huge greens, tiered tee boxes, and a good mix of hole lengths and shapes.

Glen Dornoch (1-866-409-2177) -- Some golfers love the design, others think it’s a bit unfair and too challenging. But nearly everyone agrees that Glen Dornoch (pictured) is one of the most knee-knocking, breathtaking courses at the beach. The course makes its way through 260 acres of lakes and marshland and sets up for some killer views of the Intracoastal Waterway.

Solid Seconds

Bay Tree Plantation (1-866-409-2177) -- Bay Tree’s three George Fazio/Russell Breeden designed 18-hole layouts were all the rage upon opening in 1972, and for the money, the Gold, Green and Silver Courses are still some of the best layouts in NMB. The Green and Silver Courses were revamped back in the late 1990’s, and the Gold’s remodel is a work in progress.

Surf Golf and Beach Club (1-866-409-2177) -- One of the sneaky best golf courses in town, the Surf Club shouldn’t surprise anyone seeing as how its been around for 40 years. But with all the new course construction of the past two decades, the course is often overlooked. Year after year, Surf Club sports some of the best greens in the Grand Strand.

Heather Glen (1-866-409-2177) -- Heather Glen is twenty-seven holes of Clyde Johnston and Willard Byrd designed golf course, set on close to 400 acres of oaks and pines. With its pot bunkers and open green fronts, Heather Glen takes on a decidedly Scottish feel on some of holes. With waste bunkers and native grasses throughout the three nines, it takes on Sandhills overtones on others.

Where to Stay

Barefoot Resort has golf villas onsite, most of which front the Norman Course … The Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites of Little River/North Myrtle Beach is an ideal homebase for sampling the courses of NMB. The Holiday Inn is located off U.S. Highway 17 at Coquina Harbor.

Suites include a spacious living room with television, refrigerator, and coffee maker, and are available in one and two bedroom versions with whirlpool bathtubs. Phones come equipped with two data ports with high-speed Internet access and all local calls are free. For reservations call 1-866-409-2177, or inquire about rates and golf packages when booking through www.myrtlebeachtourism.com.

Join Contributing Writer Shane Sharp as he explores the golf, restaurants and other wares of North Myrtle Beach.